CSAN Blog

Five ways you can help in your local community

  

Porsha Nunes-Brown, Network and Communications Officer

Today is the International Day of Older Persons, a day aimed at drawing attention to and challenging negative stereotypes and misconceptions about older persons and ageing.

At CSAN, we’re committed to improving the lives of older people living in the UK. As a society, we need to acknowledge how members of the older population significantly contribute to our society. There are a number of ways you can help older people in your local communities:

  1. Talking – According to Age UK, half of all older people consider the television their main form of company. Loneliness is a major issue for older people. Simply, starting a conversation with an elderly person in your local area, asking how their day is going is valuable.
  2. Volunteering – There are a number of voluntary opportunities available at organisations that work with older people ranging from telephone befriending to visiting older people who have been recently discharged from the hospital. Providing care and support to older people is a key priority for some of our members including Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds), Caritas Salford, Irish Chaplaincy, Nugent and SVP. Visit www.do-it.org.uk to find voluntary opportunities in your local area.
  3. Exercise – The importance of physical activity and exercise for older people should not be understated, regular exercise can improve physical and mental health. Offering to accompany an older family member and/or local community member to an exercise class or simply for a casual walk would be a great way to stay active and to meet new people.
  4. Cooking –  Some older people find it hard to cook for themselves, as a result cooking a meal for an older person in your local community may be greatly appreciated. There is an amazing project called The Casserole Club, designed to connect people who like to cook with their older neighbours who aren’t always able to cook for themselves.
  5. Learn more– Make it a priority to learn more about challenges facing older in the UK and in your local community. There are several organisations that work in this area including Age UK, Centre for Ageing Better and Contact the Elderly.

Those are just a few ideas of how you can better support older people living in your local area. We all need to work together to ensure older people living in the UK are living happy and fulfilled lives.

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

Calais: A reflection on walls

  

Guest blog by Kathleen O’Brien, a parishioner of Faversham

Lakeland walls

Last week, walking in the Lake District, I was again struck by its beautiful dry stone walls. They are both works of art and living structures, clothed in mosses and lichens, inhabited by tiny plants and insects. They keep the sheep from straying onto a road, but allow the wind to blow through them, and have stiles built in for walkers to pass through easily from one field to another.

How different from the wall going up in Calais: four metres tall and stretching a kilometre on both sides of the dual carriageway into the port, built of smooth concrete so that it will be harder to climb. A wall intended to keep refugees out of the UK.

At the same time, across the Atlantic, Donald Trump promises to build a “beautiful” wall between the United States and Mexico.

Historical walls

Perhaps all this wall-building is not so surprising. After all, it has been going on for centuries: Hadrian’s Wall, the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall… It seems that whenever we are afraid, our first instinct is to build a wall to hide behind. Block out the problem. Don’t let it get to us.

But are walls the answer? Have they worked in the past?

Biblical walls

It would appear not! I took Biblical Studies at university, so any talk of walls brings to mind the walls of Jericho (which fell down under the pressure of trumpets and shouts of faith) and the walls of Jerusalem (which were built, destroyed, rebuilt and – seventy years after Jesus – destroyed again).

However much the people of Judah saw Jerusalem’s walls as protecting them, ultimately, they didn’t. Walls are not the solution.

Calais wall

And that was much the feeling of Steve Symonds from Amnesty International, quoted in The Guardian (20.09.16). He said: “This wall will simply push desperate people further into the hands of smugglers and into taking far greater risks to get to the UK, and more will die in the attempt.”

A challenge to live outside the walls

So how can we make our country, and our world, more secure?

How easy it would be for Christians to answer that question if Jesus had been a wall-builder!

Instead, Jesus reached out to foreigners, spent his time with outcasts and became ritually unclean by touching lepers and dead bodies. He chose to live his ministry beyond the limiting walls of expectation and convention, culminating in dying “near the city”, in other words outside the walls. He didn’t build walls, but lived and died beyond them and broke them down. St Paul wrote, “He himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).

No easy answer for Christians. But a life-promising challenge, if we choose to accept it.

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

We need to protect and support our young offenders

  

Porsha Nunes-Brown, Network and Communications Officer

I attended the Policy-UK Forum’s conference, ‘Young People in the Justice System Delivering a Positive Outcome: Early Intervention, Education and Reducing Reoffending’ on 13 September 2016.  The day was packed with a range of guest speakers, with the main objective of learning how we can work together to improve outcomes for young offenders in the UK.

Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney, Lead Officer for Children and Young People, National Police Chiefs Council spoke about the role the police can play in avoiding unnecessary criminalisation of young people. She highlighted that a young person should be seen as a child first, and arresting a young person should always be the last resort. The police are wrestling with new offences, as we’re witnessing new behaviour including cyberbullying and sexting from our young people. She was clear that the police need to record all crime but they need be able to use their discretion when appropriate.

Anna Henry, Director of Child Rights, Office of the Children’s Commissioner, outlined the changes needed to improve outcomes for young people in the criminal justice system. The priority should be achieving a child centred justice system, not a cost centred justice system. For example, the voice of the child isn’t heard enough and a rights-based approach might improve the balance . Children in care are a group tending to have high and complex needs, calling for a focus on recovery over punishment-based approaches. The need for partnership working was emphasised and encouraged.

The secure care home model had been found effective and it was recommended we build on this model. This is aligned with the findings of the Narey Review, an independent review of children’s residential care in England. It was found that secure care has the capacity to keep children safe, and the evidence highlighted secure homes achieve both educational and health outcomes for children. Normandie Wragg, CEO of Nugent commented in our response to the Narey Review stated, “the review tackles many of the misconceptions relating to secure care. I strongly support Narey’s judgement that secure care has the capacity to keep children safe and the evidence highlights secure homes achieve both educational and health outcomes for children”.

It’s clear that we require the buy-in and support of prison officers to effect any change, as we know the reality is that some young people will end up in the criminal justice system. Ralph Valerio, National Vice Chairman, Prison Officers’ Association outlined 4 areas of focus:

  • Education and Employment
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Service Users’ Participation
  • Prison Officers

He passionately spoke about the mental health challenges many offenders struggle with and the importance of fully integrating drug and alcohol programmes. Relating to employment, he called for major companies to form partnerships with prison governors throughout the country.

It was great to hear the amazing work being done by the Prisoners’ Education Trust presented by their CEO, Rod Clark. He spoke about the current 30-hour education target for young offenders which isn’t being met. However, the risk of having a weekly target is that it becomes the goal and thereby reduces focus on specific outcomes for young people. To help improve the educational outcomes of young offenders, he first asserted we need to understand the importance of relationships for children who have experienced abuse, injury and family breakdown. Secondly, there is a need to establish a learning journey that all parties are committed to. Agencies should also be working together to expand the provision of distance learning.

Overall, it was a very insightful day. I left feeling very enthused with the number and range of individuals and organisations that possess the skills and expertise and the willingness to achieve positive outcomes for young offenders.

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

Helping vulnerable women to gain control

  

Porsha Nunes-Brown, Network Development Officer

Women@thewell helps 250 vulnerable women every year. They provide a safe space for vulnerable women with complex needs. Women@thewell cater to women affected by street based prostitution, homelessness, mental health and trafficking.

The centre is ran by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers who support and empower women to take control of their lives, with providing help accessing health services, securing accommodation and assistance with receiving the right benefits and debt management.

I spoke with Caroline Hattersley, Head of Services, about the essential work carried out by Women@thewell and her future plans for the organisation.

On a daily basis, 15-40 women visit the centre. I was extremely impressed by the range of activities and services offered including:

  • Arts and crafts
  • Cookery
  • Gardening
  • Employment workshops
  • Reflexology
  • Sewing
  • Tai chi

Creativity and change

During my visit, I was able to see the various ways women were able to showcase their creativity from the walls of paintings to the number of musical instruments available to be played. Women@thewell truly embody their mission of providing a holistic service to disadvantaged and vulnerable women.

The drop centre is open Monday-Friday 12:30-3:30. The centre is open to all vulnerable women on Wednesday afternoons.

I spoke to a few women about their lives and aspirations. One woman, Patricia, passionately discussed her love and commitment for her two children and how she was coping with how they were growing up so quickly.

I was truly moved by Sarah, her determination and warm spirit were inspiring and endearing. Despite facing multiple challenges, she had found a way to harness her creativity through the making of jewellery. She had a bag full of earrings – all different colours and sizes, which she regularly sells at local markets. It was truly uplifting to witness someone refusing to be defined by her circumstances and utilising her talents to better her life.

Partnerships

To further assist women in need, Women@thewell have built partnerships with a range of agencies including domestic violence services, drug support services, street outreach teams and probation services.

Women@thewell has been a CSAN member since 2012. We worked together on the ratification of The Modern Slavery Bill which was passed in March 2015.

What I truly took away from my visit at Women@thewell was there is a critical need for holistic support services for women and we must continue as a community to invest in our women’s aspirations and wellbeing. This is eloquently articulated by the following quote by Liya Kebede, maternal health advocate:

“Investing in women’s lives is an investment in sustainable development, in human rights, in future generations – and consequently in our own long-term national interests”.

To find out more about Domestic violence and vulnerable women, check out the Women@thewell website

The names in this article have been changed to protect the anonymity of the women discussed.

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

Closure of Holloway Prison

  

Porsha Nunes-Brown, Network Development Officer, attended the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre, which celebrates women and girls, and assesses the obstacles that stop them from achieving their potential. She attended a panel discussion on the closure of HMP Holloway and the broader issue of women in the criminal justice system in the UK.

HMP Holloway, the biggest women’s prison in Western Europe, is set to close this summer. This serves as a fitting time to discuss what a prison system that works for women should look like.

The panel speakers included:

  • Juliet Lyon CBE – Director of the Prison Reform Trust
  • Maureen Mansfield – Mental Health Inclusion Project Coordinator, Women in Prison
  • Vicky Pryce – Economist, past civil servant and having served time in Holloway and an open prison

Juliet Lyon CBE, passionately articulated, that as a nation we’re imprisoning too many women, many whom are mothers, for minor non-violent offences. Annually over 18,000 children are separated from their mothers due to imprisonment. A Prison Reform Trust study found that 42 women held in HMP Holloway had no idea who was looking after their children and that 19 children under the age of 16 were looking after themselves. The effects of parental imprisonment are far-reaching. CSAN network member PACT launched the campaign ‘Hear my Voice’, aimed at raising awareness and improving practice for children affected by familial imprisonment.

Women offenders have experienced great distress and trauma, with 46% of women in prison having attempted suicide at some point of their life, which is more than double the figure for men. Almost half of women in prison have suffered domestic violence. It’s evident that the overwhelming majority of women in the criminal justice system are vulnerable and require holistic and tailored support. The question was raised, why do we lock up our most vulnerable women in the bleakest places?

The panel was in unanimous agreement concerning the limited effectiveness of prison, pertaining to the rehabilitation of women offenders. Women in prison would be better served with alternatives to custody.

The issue of staff cuts within prisons is a critical issue, which is tied into the service and care provided to women within the criminal justice system. The prevalence of self-harm, assaults on staff and self-inflicted deaths has been attributed to the significant cuts to prison staff.

Maureen Mansfield from Women in Prisons, articulated despite the negative connotations associated with Holloway, it’s a place of security for many women.

Vicky Pryce, economist and former civil servant spoke about her experience in Holloway and how it shaped her view on the criminal justice system. She cited the shocking statistic, that women only account for 5% of the prison population, but a third of all self-harm incidents. She optimistically stated that the closure of Holloway could lead to better solutions for women which would result in less women being imprisoned.

The ever present tensions between punishment and rehabilitation were also discussed, in regards to the severe abuse and distress suffered by imprisoned women. Which leads to the question, can the psychological work that needs to be done to effectively help women offenders, be delivered within the criminal justice setting?

The closure of Holloway will move women further away from their families with women being moved being moved to HMP Downview in Surrey. This will result in higher travel costs and longer journey times for the families that do intend to visit. We need to capture the momentum from the closure of Holloway and seize the opportunity to rethink how women engage with the criminal justice system in the UK.

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

Detainees are equal in the eyes of God

  

The issue of immigration detention is particularly important to CSAN, which works with the Detention Forum, due to the values Catholic Social Teaching shows us. The two most fundamental principles are Human Dignity, which is an integral tenet of CSAN’s values and the Common Good.

What this means is that we are all equal in the eyes of God and we share the world and therefore share the responsibility for protecting our brothers and sisters in detention. It is this focus on the human side of this issue which pervades our work, where we see those who migrate to the UK as created in God’s image just like you and I. At an address at the Harmondsworth Detention Centre, Emeritus Archbishop Kevin McDonald described this concept as such, “we are closely bound up with one another and we are all closely bound up with the people who are living in Harmondsworth Detention Centre”.

Immigration removal centres

In this way, we see that currently immigration removal centres (IRC) do not respect the fundamental human dignity of those indefinitely detained, especially those with mental health issues and those who have been tortured. Indefinite detention causes severe anxiety and distress, exacerbating the suffering of individuals who have fled their country. Furthermore, the uncertainty of not knowing when detainees will be released enforces unjust conditions which harbour lack of respect and dignity. The International Detention Coalition has found migrants are far more likely to accept and comply with negative immigration decisions if the decision-making process is seen as fair.

Detention Centre rule 35 requires detention centre doctors to report to the Home Office ‘any detained person whose health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention or any conditions of detention’.  It is in place to protect vulnerable detainees whose health is likely to be affected, those with suicidal thoughts or someone who’s been the victim of torture. However it’s not effective or cognisant of the fact that unnecessary detention exacerbates mental health conditions. The Jesuit Refugee Service, one of our member organisations, visits people with mental health conditions in detention centres every week. They recognise these people should simply not be detained. JRS serves refugees by advocating on behalf of detainees at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre.

Stories we’ve heard

On a recent trip to Calais, a delegation from CSAN met a young Afghan boy who was detained shortly after arriving in the UK. Whilst in detention, he learnt his mother and father had been killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and being in detention only made his grief worse. As a result, he now suffers from acute mental health issues and was noticeably distant when members of CSAN talked to him about his experience.

Some questions we should be asking ourselves, in the words of Archbishop Kevin McDonald: why do we have a proprietorial and territorial mind-set regarding the privileged lives a lot of us are able to experience in the UK? And how can a system such as ours, where people are indefinitely detained (the only country in the EU with this practice) exist in a so-called civilised British society? Both issues warrant a greater response than the conditions the government is currently imposing.

Importantly, the human cost of indefinite detention far outweighs the financial cost (approx. £36,000) which is more than the costs involved in housing people in the community. As Catholics, we are morally compelled to preoccupy ourselves with the indignities faced by people in detention and to address the injustices faced by thousands whose only ‘crime’ is taking the chance to live a happy, safe and dignified life.

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

School holiday meals to combat child poverty

  

Dr Philip McCarthy is the new CEO of CSAN who has a background in leadership in the NHS and took up his post on 1 December 2015.

The problem of food poverty and hunger in the UK is a long standing one, exacerbated in recent years. CSAN and its member charities have highlighted a number of factors which contribute to this reality in recommendations to the recent ‘Feeding Britain’ report published last Thursday.

The primary root cause of the growing reliance on food banks by thousands of people daily to meet their basic needs. An All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry into Food Poverty and Hunger called ‘Feeding Britain was created in April 2014, made up of a consortium of over 100 NGOs, community, faith and civil society groups, is the result of this broad consensus to achieve zero poverty in the UK.

The recommendations we made affect vulnerable children and adults alike and centre on addressing complex difficulties within the system, which lead to service users and clients in our network to often go without food. However the problem which affects children is most startling and is often hidden.

3.9 million children live in income poverty (defined as 60% below the average income) according to Magic Breakfast. And 1 in 4 children have one hot meal a day – their school lunch, according to research by Child Poverty Action Group

A child’s education is affected by the impacts of child food poverty and hunger.

Catholic Children’s Society conducted research into hunger in primary school children and all head teachers reported there were children in their schools whose educational attainment was affected by hunger.

Catholic Children’s Society Westminster set up a crisis fund so that any teacher can apply to finance extra school meals, which priests can also apply for if a child suffering from food poverty is known to them.

Debt, lack of financial management, benefit issues (sanctions, delays, incorrect payments) and chaotic home lives, or a combination of all, can mean parents struggle to provide three healthy meals a day for children.

Unfortunately it is difficult to know how many children suffer in this way, as it’s not currently tracked and often parents are reluctant to admit to their child going hungry due to fear that social services will take their child or children away.

CSAN recommended to ‘Feeding Britain’ that projects should be explored, based in primary schools which often act as community hubs, to provide meals at least once a day during school holidays.

These hubs could also offer wrap around services which help address the root causes of food poverty and hunger. This is because Catholic Children’s Society Westminster also tell us that simply delivering food parcels is not the only way to address the problems of food poverty and hunger.

We therefore warmly welcome the report’s recommendation for a national programme targeted at eliminating child hunger during the school holidays and hope the Government act to tackle this crisis.

This recent report marks a positive development in challenging food poverty and hunger. The people our members work with have the support of Feeding Britain behind them to review progress of the recommendations, so that families don’t have to face the reality of going hungry.

 

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

International Migrants Day

  

From CSAN Public Affairs

The concept of home and identity is particularly important at Christmas and yet there are still thousands of refugees and migrants risking the journey to Europe at this time of year in terrible weather conditions.

CSAN has been working on immigration for a number of years. Most recently we sent a delegation to the ‘Jungle’ in Calais in September. The aim of the visit was to meet the people living in terrible conditions on a small strip of land near the French coast, and to hear their stories.

A 42 year old Afghan man named Ahmed fed our delegation with food from a restaurant he set up in the camp and refused to take money for it. This was typical of the generosity shown to CSAN throughout the visit. We hope we showed solidarity with him and the others gathered by sharing food, an act that makes us all equal.

We saw the camp through the eyes of our partners in France, Secours Catholique, who work every day to help make life a little bit more safe and dignified for more than 6,000 people who live in the camp. For instance, there were recent reports that asbestos has been discovered in the ‘Jungle’, used as building materials and surfaces to eat food from. With Doctors of the World, Secours Catholique have since successfully lobbied the French government to install standpipes for water, toilets and to arrange rubbish collections in the ‘Jungle’.

The stories we heard and lives we saw have laid the basis for our policy work on migration. Our advocacy work has centred on writing submissions to the Immigration Bill, which continue to be discussed in parliament.

At the recommendation of Seeking Sanctuary – a new charity working in Kent and headed by our member Ben Bano together with J&P Kent – and Caritas France, we’ve raised £7,000 which helped buy a new van to safely transport women and children and goods in the camp.

The Church values everyone’s right to live free from persecution and lead a productive life. Cardinal Vincent Nichols recently spoke out about the UK government’s response to the refugee crisis by saying “progress is slow, but the plight of refugees cannot wait.”

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) views the family as the basic cell of society and speaks of its sanctity. As Christmas approaches, it is significant to remember how Pope Benedict spoke of the Family of Nazareth in his 2007 address on ‘The Migrant Family’ and see the parallels with the fragility of the contemporary migrant family.

We look to CST to argue that asylum claims should be managed based on the human dignity of the migrant during the process of having a claim heard and in seeking integration into a new community. CST suggests a right and duty to enable migrants to have access to full social, economic, civic, political participation.

Immigration detention for purely administrative purposes and without time limit also frustrates human dignity through isolating the human person from the basic network of relationships (family, legal, work-based, spiritual) necessary for fostering basic human dignity. Pope Francis has made repeated visits to sites of detention to highlight his solidarity with those detained and to make these facilities more visible.

So, this International Migrants Day, let’s value the dignity and sanctity of the migrant family and welcome those who journey to our communities with open arms.

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

Cherishing older people

  

Edward De Quay, Development Worker for Caritas Westminster

As a society, it is important that we are confident to respond to the needs of those with dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, “how others respond to the person, and how supportive or enabling the persons surroundings greatly affects how well someone can live with dementia.”

Dementia commonly affects people over the age of 65. Pope Francis has been uncompromising about the need to cherish the elderly in our society. He has stressed the need to care for and respect older people, saying that a society without this commitment has no future.  In 2012, Pope Benedict stated that “the quality of a society, of a civilisation, may also be judged by how it treats its elderly and by the place reserved for them in communal life. To give space to the elderly is to give space to life!”

Dementia can also affect younger people, with over 40,000 in the UK under 65 affected. Regardless of age, Catholic Social Teaching clearly states that we have a duty of care. “Every human person – no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society – is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God (Pope John Paul II).”

Building awareness and understanding are the first steps to an effective response. We would like to encourage you to engage in this Dementia Awareness Week, and to reflect on how your parish community can reach out to families and individuals facing the challenges of living with dementia. In your family and beyond, for those with dementia and for those who are engaged in their care, your support is precious.

Read more about CSAN’s focus on positive ageing and care.

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.

See me rather than my dementia

  

Ben Bano is Director of a Community Interest Company – ‘Welcome Me as I Am’ – which is a member agency of CSAN and provides training and support for staff and volunteers in person centred approaches to dementia care 

CSAN’s campaign in Dementia Awareness week is right to focus on the importance of working conditions and training for those working with people whose lives are touched by dementia. It’s only through providing the best possible care and support that we can focus on two of the most important aspects to caring for the ‘whole person’ – promoting personhood and dignity.

The term ‘personhood’ has been developed to counter the stereotype of the person with dementia gradually losing their physical and mental functioning and their personality as dementia advances. The concept of personhood reinforces the image of the person with dementia as someone who is able to experience emotions, both positive and negative, as well as the ability to share these emotions to those who are able and willing to be present in what might be a bewildering and confusing situation. It is at the root of all the work with people whose lives are touched by dementia and is a core value for my own organisation – ‘Welcome Me as I Am’ – as well as for CSAN’s member agencies working in the field of dementia care.

The promotion of dignity and empowerment has a natural place in dementia care as well as a special place for CSAN’s member agencies whose work is underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching. This is because dignity and empowerment are linked inextricably linked with our view of a person with dementia as a person who can and should lead a full life in spite of their diminishments.

 The well known author and columnist Daniel O’Leary speaks movingly of the ‘power of presence’ in promoting dignity as dementia advances:

“The role of your body in revealing presence is central; the graciousness of your eyes – windows out and windows in; the touch of your hands – extensions of your heart; your body – the dignity of composure; your body betrays the inner state of your soul; the dignity of your voice, a radiance from your physical presence, a reverence for the Presence of the other.  Then you release a healing Presence in the other.”

For those close to a person in the advancing stages of dementia, diminishments need to be put in the context of a person whose life story needs to be seen in the context of lifetime of achievement and fulfilment. As a person with dementia loses their sense of reality, visual and other memories are needed to remind them – and even more importantly, their loved ones, of the person that they have been and will continue to be. The promotion of spiritual needs, which is a focus for the CSAN member agencies working with dementia, becomes particularly important.

This is the challenge before us and it is why we need to support, train and nurture those involved in providing care and support in person centred care.  This work is an act of compassion, sensitivity and humanity.

 

The views expressed in this blog are not CSAN policy.